Inside the Bruins: A late start to New Years resolutions

Tuesday

Jan 31, 2012 at 12:01 AM

The All-Star break is over, and hopefully so is Timmy-gate.

MICK COLAGEO

The All-Star break is over, and hopefully so is Timmy-gate.

With a playoff spot virtually clinched and a healthy lead in pursuit of a top-3 seed for finishing first in the Northeast Division, the Boston Bruins (31-14-2) are right where they want to be. No danger of becoming the fourth defending champion in modern NHL history to miss the playoffs, and no rash of injuries to contend with.

If Nathan Horton (concussion) is good to go tonight against the Ottawa Senators (7, NESN, 98.5), only the last game of Andrew Ference's three-game suspension will prevent the Bruins from icing a complete squad.

Health-wise, the Bruins have been fortunate, and that will matter on their 10-day, six-game road trip in February and when they face three four-game weeks in March and one more in April.

Other than Horton's ding in Philadelphia on Jan. 22, there have been no new injuries of significance. Their bodies are fine, and the week-long break in the schedule has given the them ample time to rededicate their minds to the task ahead.

That said, repeating the Cup is a long shot, too long for any team since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings. If you're a Tuukka Rask fan looking for an omen, note that Mike Vernon was their goalie in '97 and Chris Osgood in '98.

Every team that ever won the Cup got clutch goaltending, and Rask and Thomas remain the league's most viable tandem to produce it. Beyond that, the Bruins are the best at believing in their course and understanding their whys and wherefores of their success.

But is it prudent to go back to the 2012 playoffs without making a significant addition via trade? After all, before the Bruins ran away from the Canucks in Games 6 and 7, they had experienced close brushes with playoff elimination in earlier rounds against Montreal and Tampa Bay.

Boston hosts Ottawa twice in the next 29 days, tonight and on Feb. 28, and a tweak to the lineup for the second meeting is not out of the question.

Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter would give general manager Peter Chiarelli what he was looking for from Tomas Kaberle and Joe Corvo, but the argument against a radical upgrade is that the Bruins have already proven they can win without adding an elite-level puck mover to top three on the blue line.

Chemistry got them to the top, and in chemistry we trust. Besides, Boston didn't have Horton against Vancouver, and the maturation of Tyler Seguin (20 today) essentially adds an All-Star to the lineup.

Both Horton and Seguin, however, scored clutch goals on the road to the Cup, and the inconsistency and uncertainty of Horton's 2011-12 season could throw the argument into reverse.

Chiarelli has a lot to weigh over the next four weeks, and while he's kicking tires on potential acquisitions he'll keep a keen eye on his own club.

The testing ground is now, and it comes on the heels of a ragged 5-4-1 stretch that followed that crazy Jan. 7 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The sustained intensity that brought about a 12-0-1 November and a 9-3-0 December has been elusive in the new year, and it won't matter who Chiarelli goes out and gets if the internal hockey matters are not solved.

Boston's last game before the All-Star break was a bittersweet visit to Washington.

One night after meeting with President Obama, the Bruins blew another road game, giving up a late goal in a 5-3 loss. It was their third such collapse in 11 days — all of them coming in the rink of a Southeast Division team.

Don't be surprised if the entire league takes the message to heart: the Bruins are used to breaking the will of their opponent; don't let them break yours; just hang around, be patient, and your opportunity will come.

In other words, the Bruins might as well grab all the feel-good moments from the White House that Thomas missed out on and use it for a spark, because they're going to need all they can get in the way of inspiration.

The stretch run begins tonight, and despite their lofty place in the standings, the Bruins might as well treat tonight's home game against the Senators like they did their last one on Nov. 1.

Boston was 3-7 at the time, and the game was tied in the third period. But with goals from five different players, the Bruins grinded out a 5-3 victory.

It wasn't a spectacular win, but it bled resolve. All hands were on deck, and the 10-game winning streak that followed makes perfect sense in retrospect. Their humble approach dug them out of their hole and put them back in the running.

With five games in hand, Boston's 4-point division lead on Ottawa (27-19-6) is better than it looks — unless, of course, the Bruins forget who they are and what got them into this spot.

Counting regular season and playoffs, Claude Julien has coached the Bruins in 431 games. He surpassed Gerry Cheevers (410 games from 1980-85) on Dec. 8 against Florida, and he is on track to catch Don Cherry's team-record 455 games on March 17 against Philadelphia and become the Bruins' all-time leader on March 19 against Toronto.

Mick Colageo covers hockey for The Standard-Times. Contact him at mcolageo@s-t.com and visit Rink Rap at blogs.southcoasttoday.com/bruins